The Runaways
by Casteline
Summary: If a vampire had approached her three years ago and asked her to run away with him, she would have said no in a heartbeat. Delena, Jyler, Mabekah.
1. Moments

_The series is told in reverse chronological order. I know it sounds weird, but it should make sense once things get going._

_Pairings include: Delena (Damon/Elena), Jyler (Jeremy/Tyler), and Mabekah (Matt/Rebekah)._

_WARNINGS: Mentions of **MAJOR CHARACTER DEATHS**._

* * *

**The Runaways I: Moments**

If a vampire had approached her three years ago and asked her to run away with him, she would have said no in a heartbeat. She had a life in Mystic Falls. She had a mom and a dad and a loser littler brother and she loved it there. She had no reason to even think about running.

Now, when Damon presents the option, it seems like not just a good choice, but the only one. Every reason she had to stay was gone. Her parents were dead. Aunt Jenna was dead. Her biological mother and father were dead. Alaric was dead. Stefan was dead. Her best friend had been turned in to a Vampire, and more recently, been brutally killed by her other best friend, who had gone darkside and started killing, well, _everyone_.

Elena Gilbert's life, as of late, had been a little hectic.

There were only two things left in the world that Elena cared about, number one was Jeremy. If he and Tyler hadn't already left town (hopefully they were halfway around the world by now), Elena wouldn't even consider leaving. Number two was standing in front of her, asking her to run away.

After what felt like hours, but was really only a minute or two, she finally answered.

"Let's go."

* * *

_Part two is titled **Footsteps**, and focuses on Jeremy and Tyler._


	2. Footsteps

_Here's part two. More mention of **character death**. This part is mostly Jyler with a hint of Delena._

_Remember, this bit happens before the previous bit._

_Enjoy._

* * *

**The Runaways II: Footsteps**

Tyler knew he didn't have to sneak into the Gilbert house, but he did anyway. It was nearly two in the morning, but he knew it was unlikely that anyone inside was sleeping, and still he moved quietly as he unlocked the door and stepped inside, closing it just as quietly. He immediately noticed Damon, who had been in the kitchen, but moved into the hallway when he heard the door open. Tyler couldn't see what was in the glass he was holding, but he could smell the blood. Damon didn't say anything, and neither did Tyler. They exchanged a look. Tyler had never much cared for Damon, but few people in the world felt what he was going through, and Damon was one of them; even through the tough façade he wore, Tyler knew Damon had cared about Caroline.

Tyler quietly made his way up the stairs and into Jeremy's room. Jeremy was lying in bed, curled around a pillow, facing away from the door. To anyone else, it might have looked like he was sleeping, but Tyler knew better. He could hear his breathing, jagged, not slow and even as it would have been. And after how their day had gone, Tyler would be shocked if any of them slept for a long time.

He quietly kicked off his shoes and climbed into be behind Jeremy. He wrapped his arm around him, pressing their bodies together. He closed his eyes, hoping that, by some miracle, sleep would come, but knowing that it was an empty hope.

"You okay?" Jeremy asked quietly, a while later.

"No," Tyler said back. "You?"

"Not by a long shot."

They both went quiet again for a long while. There wasn't much to say.

"We could run," Tyler said. He'd been thinking about it a lot, even more lately.

"What?" Jeremy said, shifting so he could see Tyler's face.

"We could go wherever you want, anywhere in the world. As long as it's far away from here. Then we'll be safe. _You'll _be safe."

Jeremy laughed, like it was a joke. "I can't leave," he said. "I already tried that, remember? Besides, I can't leave Elena."

"She'd probably rather if you did leave. Then she'd know you were safe."

"But she won't be."

"Please, Jere," Tyler begged. "She's already killed Caroline, and Alaric, and Stefan. And my mom."

"What?" Jeremy asked, eyes widening.

Tyler closed his eyes.

"She-? You didn't say anything."

Tyler shrugged. Jeremy pressed their lips lightly together, then wrapped his arms tightly around the Hybrid.

"Please, Jere," Tyler whispered. "Let's just get out of here. I can't lose you, too."

"He's right, Jere," Elena's voice interrupted. "You should go. Just… get out of here."

"But what about you?"

"Damon and I will stick around… try to get a handle on the situation."

"But-"

"Don't worry, Kid," Damon said. "I won't let anything happen to her."

Jeremy wanted to argue, wanted to point out that there weren't many Vampires left in Mystic Falls, and Bonnie would make easy pickings of them, but deep down, he knew they were right. Eventually, Bonnie would take out the Originals, or the Originals would take out Bonnie, and it was better if he just got out of the way while they fought it out.

He found himself hoping that it was the Originals who won.

* * *

_Part three is called '**Shackles**' and tells about the craptastic day that lead to this point._


	3. Shackles

_At this point, you've probably realized that major characters die/have died, so I won't mention it again. Mabekah, Jyler, and Delena in this chapter._

* * *

**The Runaways III: Shackles**

No one was sure how long they've been hanging there, chained to the ceiling, before help finally came. They were weak which exhaustion and, in Damon and Tyler's case, vervain. Elena's face was caked with dried blood and tears. Jeremy and Damon had open, but shallow wounds across their torso. Matt and Tyler were the only ones untouched, thus far, but Bonnie's blade.

There was a light jiggling at the door, as if the person on the other side was testing to see if it was open, then the door was flung open with a crash when it became apparent that it was locked. To nearly everyone's surprise, it was Rebekah who walked in.

"We don't have a lot of time," she said, rushing to Matt's side. "Are you okay?" she asked him softly as she broke open his chains.

"I'm fine," he nodded. "Help the others," he urged her once he was free from his shackles. For a moment, she seemed to forget that they were in company, as she tried to make sure he was unharmed, but he pushed her away with what strength he could muster.

"Bonnie'll be back soon," Jeremy said as Rebekah unchained Tyler.

"Stefan lured her into town as a distraction," she explained as Tyler fell to the ground. "But we don't have much time."

"Tyler?" Jeremy asked.

"I'm fine," he replied, but try as he might, he could not stand up. The moment Jeremy was freed, he was at Tyler's side, trying to help him. "I'm fine," he repeated. "Just can't move very well."

"You've been drugged with vervain, wolfsbane, and witch juju," Damon said as Elena was freed. "You're lucky to be alive." When finally his chains were broken, he fell into Elena's waiting arms.

"I think we're all lucky to be alive," Elena said, helping him stay on his feet. She offered him her wrist, but he shook his head.

"Not everyone," Rebekah said, staring at the still form of Caroline, hanging at the end of the row.

"Get her down," Damon said wearily. It was clear that the only thing stopping him, and for that matter any of them, from hunting Bonnie down and snapping her neck at that moment, was their complete inability to do so. "Get her down."

Rebekah doesn't hesitate to release her. Matt was waiting to catch her, tears welling in his eyes.

"Let's get out of here," Jeremy said, half helping, half dragging Tyler to the door. Elena and Damon followed, Damon needing nearly as much help as Tyler, then Matt carrying Caroline, and finally Rebekah. Slowly, the climbed up the steps out of the cellar and began making their way home.

"I'll be back," she told them before disappearing in a flash. A moment later, she reappeared, holding an armful of blood bags.

"Why are you helping us?" Damon asked, tearing into one of the bags. It seemed he might have at more to say, but couldn't take himself away from the healing power of human blood.

"Damon's right," Elena said, as they continued walked, as fast as they could manage, away from their prison. "You hate us, why are you helping?"

"I don't hate Matt," she pointed out, and, for the moment at least, that was good enough.

Soon, Damon and Tyler were strong enough to walk on their own.

"You should go home," Jeremy said as they neared the Lockwood home.

Tyler shook his head. "I'd rather stay with you," he said.

"I'm fine. Go," Jeremy urged. "We've been gone for days. Your mom is probably sick with worry. Please, go."

Tyler paused for a moment, then nodded, before giving Jeremy's hand a light squeeze and turning down the street.

A few minutes later, they reached the Gilbert house, and Elena, Jeremy, and Damon left Matt and Rebekah to take Caroline's body to the Sheriff. Elena wanted to say she'd go with them, that she wanted to be there for Caroline's mom, but in truth, she didn't think she could bear to see her.

"I thought you left," Matt finally said the words that had been circling his mind since she'd appeared in the cellar.

Rebekah shrugged. "I came back," she said. "That has to count for something, doesn't it?"

Matt really didn't know if it did, but she had come back and rescued them, so he couldn't find it in himself to stay mad at her.

He felt like the most terrible person in the world when he knocked on the Forbes' door, when a heartbreaking sob escaped Liz's mouth, like he was the one who had taken the Sheriff's daughter away from her.

And when Tyler arrived at home, his mother sat at the kitchen counter, her hands wrapped around a cold mug of coffee. She didn't move when he opened the door, nor when he said good morning to her.

Her throat had been slit.

* * *

_Next up is '**Chains**', and hey, you'll actually get to see the Big Bad!_


	4. Chains

**The Runaways IV: Chains**

"Bonnie, this is crazy!" Caroline exclaimed, struggling against her chains.

"Don't bother," Bonnie said, her voice dripping with hatred. Her eyes were blood red, completely inhuman. "I've put enough vervain in you to ensure that you'll never get out alive. None of you will get out of here." She smiled an evil smile as she looked over her prisoners. Caroline, Elena, Damon, Jeremy, Tyler, and Matt, all hung from the ceiling by unbreakable chains. "And don't think anyone can come save you," she said. "I've already set a trap for the pretty boy vampire. I am sorry that the hunter had to die. _Ex-_hunter, I should say. I had hoped he would see reason and help me, but, well, how does someone so convicted against vampires become their friend?"

"You're insane," Damon said, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Absolutely fucking insane."

"You want to be the next to die?" Bonnie asked, pressing her knife into his chest, until she drew blood. "Believe me when I say I'll _love_ killing you. I'll take it slow, too. It'll be fun."

"Bonnie, please," Elena begged. "We're your friends-"

"Friends!" Bonnie cried, turning on her, the knife now pressed to the Doppelganger's throat. "Friends are there for each other when they're needed. Friends don't choose vampires over friends!"

"Leave her alone," Damon said in a threatening tone, though there was nothing he could threaten her with now.

Bonnie turned to him, a wicked smile forming. "You know what, I don't think I will. I think I'll kill her first, just to watch you squirm."

"NO!" Caroline and Jeremy shouted in unison.

"Stop this, Bonnie," Caroline pleaded. "Please-"

Bonnie moved away from Elena, and lunged toward Caroline.

"Do you realize how annoying you are?" she asked. "How grating your voice is? Listening to you jabber, _constantly_, about your meaningless little life, like it all matters. I hate to break it to you, _sister,_ but no one cares!"

"Bonnie," Caroline begged. "You remember when we were kids an-"

Caroline's voice was cut off by the stake Bonnie had thrust into her chest.

"NO!" Elena, Matt, and Tyler cried out as Caroline's features turned gray with death.

"You bitch!" Damon shouted at her, struggling against his chains, trying desperately to get at the witch.

"I'll kill you," Tyler spat.

Bonnie merely laughed. "I'd like to see you try."


	5. Vines

_Sorry for the delay, I've been quite distracted._

* * *

**Runaways V: Vines**

"So," Elena said slowly, as she and Jeremy walked through the carnival that was going on around them. "How are you?"

Jeremy raised his eyebrow at her.

"What?" she asked.

"I don't know, it just seems strange for you to be asking," he shrugged.

"I know," she said. "But we haven't had much time to talk lately. Things have been pretty crazy."

"Really?" he asked mockingly. "I hadn't really noticed. I guess I've been too busy with all the insanity."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Really though, how are you?"

"I'm good," he shrugged. "As good as a person can be, given everything that's been going on."

"And… how's Tyler?"

Jeremy sighed. Somehow he knew that this was where the conversation would lead. "Look, I know you don't really approve-"

"No! I totally do. I mean, at first it was a little weird, and I was worried, but," she shrugged. "You've been a lot happier since you've been with him. And I told him as much."

Jeremy's eyes widened. "You've been talking to him?"

Elena nodded. "And I told him he should stop sneaking into the house." Jeremy blushed a little. "He's welcome anytime," she added. "In fact, I invited him over for dinner tonight."

"Oh, I'm sure that will go _great_," Jeremy said sarcastically. "You, me, Alaric, Damon, and Tyler. So many ways this could end badly."

"As long as no one tries to get me into the kitchen, I think we'll be okay," Elena laughed.

"Hmm," Jeremy began thoughtfully, as he saw Damon and Alaric approaching. "Does it ever bother you that your boyfriend's best friend is your father figure?"

"All the time," she nodded. "What's up, boys?"

"We have a problem," Damon said.

"I'm beginning to think that should be your catch phrase," Elena said. Then, more seriously, she added "What's going on?"

"Matt and Tyler have been captured," Alaric said.

"What?"

"Are they okay?" Jeremy asked.

"Highly unlikely," Damon answered, making Elena want to stomp on his foot for his lack of tack.

"Well we've got to help them!"

"We will," Alaric assured him. "But you two should go home, while we take care of this-"

"Like hell!" Jeremy exclaimed at the same time Elena cried "No way!"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Always with the heroics." He sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue with them, though he knew he could easily overpower both of them. "Come on, we need to find Stefan and Caroline."

"Caroline is right there," Elena said, nodding to one of the nearby booths, where Caroline was flirting shamelessly with two guys.

"How exactly does one go about capturing a Hybrid?" she asked once the situation had been explained to her.

"That _witch_ has access to all kinds of power we don't know about," Damon said.

"Let's go find her!" Caroline said, determined to do some damage.

"Find me?" Bonnie's voice interrupted them. "I'm right here."

"Bonnie," Elena said softly. Seeing her like this was difficult. Blood red eyes and black veins. She was hardly the Bonnie they once knew.

"Silence!" Bonnie exclaimed, and though Elena tried to talk, no words came out of her mouth. "I'll take you to your friends. I'll take you to them, and you can watch them die, knowing that you'll be next."

"Bonnie-" Jeremy tried. "Please, it doesn't have to be like this."

"You're just as bad as them," she hissed. She held out her hand and vines began to grow out of the ground, twisting around their ankles, then crawling up their bodies, binding them completely. If anyone at the carnival could see what was happening to them, they didn't care.

"Vervain," Damon choked, struggling futilely.

Alaric somehow resisted the binds long enough to throw a knife, which was stopped inches from Bonnie's heart by an invisible barrier.

"I liked you," she growled, levitating the knife as the roots worked their way around him. "I thought you might join me in cleansing this town. But you're no better than them, are you? You befriend them, conspire with them, drink with them. You would never help me, would you?"

"Never," he agreed, drawing a gun and firing.

But she was faster than the bullets, inhumanly fast, and in the blink of an eye, she was standing behind him, his knife in her hand, slitting his throat.

"NO!" Elena and Jeremy cried, unable to do anything to stop her.

"I'll kill you," Damon said.

"That's where you're wrong," Bonnie said, turning her attention back to them. "I will kill you. But I want to watch you suffer first."


End file.
